The Art of Valerie Moore

New Eyeball Bead Colors!

2009-09-24T17:48:00.004-05:00

I thought I would expand my color selection when it came to eyeball beads. I had planned hazel for some time, just never got around to it until now, but I thought the other two would be a cool choice.

Yellow, in a slightly demonic color, was inspired more by animal eyes than anything else. In fact it's an ode to Robert Jordan; I've been re-reading his Wheel of Time series and in it, a character named Perrin is referred to as "Perrin Goldeneyes". He developed yellow eyes after discovering that he could communicate with wolves.

The green-yellow was just plain fun. It's a lively color, and I actually have seen some rare redheads with yellowish green eyes, if not as intense as what I've created.

Yellow Eyeball Beads

Hazel Eyeball Beads

Green-Yellow Eyeball Beads

Cane Creation

2009-06-18T17:32:00.005-05:00

It has been a long while since I've written anything on this blog. I've had a lot of health issues to deal with and therefore haven't really been claying. But, recently I started a whole slew of new canes and thought that I would show how I go about with my cane creation.

If I make a cane that is more complex than say, a simple one color flower cane like this

I often will draw out the cane I want to create. It all starts by browsing flower pictures, either on the web, some I've taken myself or something in my "Morgue File", which is my collection of copyright free images. Morgue File comes from the site Morgue File and they explain the name here.

After selecting the images I want to use I then go drag out my paper and pencil and make a rough sketch. Using that sketch as an outline I trace it onto a new sheet of paper using carbon paper so that I have something to color in.

I have a nice collection of good quality colored pencils, but you don't need that yourself. You can color on the computer, with crayons or just a simple set of colored pencils. Markers work too. Basically it is a drawing that you use for reference. Below are some examples of my recent flower cane drawings that I start out with:

You'll also notice that on some I show how I will construct the actual cane pieces as well. In the blue flower above, on the left shows the triangle piece that will house the stamens, and the round piece that will be put on top. With that rough cane piece completed, I then shape the piece to more closely resemble a flower petal.

I won't go into actual cane contruction since this isn't really a tutorial, but a glimpse into my creation process, but after assembling all the pieces of the "puzzle" as I like to think of it, I pack the surrounding parts with translucent clay (Premo, always since it gives the clearest translucence IMO).

The final canes often don't resemble the original drawings, usually in color, but the drawings are a starting point. Here are the finished canes that came from the drawings:

Granted, there is something to be said about the spontaneity of just sitting down with the clay and doing what you think would look cool, but often enough I've made just some horrible canes doing that. Usually it involves scrap clay and mixing it together to create a new color, pairing it with a slightly compatible color and wrapping it all in trans. Unfortunately those always seem to be the canes that I shove way in the back of storage, or toss into my scrap bag. So, I've found that careful planning usually creates the best, and prettiest canes.

Super Duper Winter Sale 30% Off!

2008-12-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

From now until December 12th everything in my etsy shop will be 30% off! If you're looking for beautiful handmade beads or goodies to make holiday presents check me out:

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
valeriebeads.etsy.com

Whedonverse Ornament Swap

2008-11-02T17:07:00.002-05:00

If you've read my blog you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Firefly, Serenity, Buffy, Dr.Horrible and pretty much anything Joss Whedon creates. I was invited to participate in an ornament swap put on by Buffyfest. So, if you love all of the above, take your Whedon lovin' self over to BuffyFest Blog and check out the exchange!

I have ideas of using that same design that is on the pendants in my previous post on at least a few of the ornaments...

Browncoat Firefly and Serenity Pendant - Shiny!

2008-10-29T20:47:00.006-05:00

I had to show these cute pendants off! I'm in love with them and am so happy with how they turned out:

Speaking of Firefly, if anyone is on etsy and is interested in joining the Big Damn Crafters Street Team, check us out on the etsy street team page. We do lots of fun challenges based on episodes, characters and more. This season there is even a Secret Santa for the crew (not intended to be given, but sold in your shop)! Shiny!

Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have

2008-09-25T01:04:00.004-05:00

This year I've expanded my eye color. Not my real eyes, but the one's I started making out of polymer clay that I wrote about here. Those big beads were shrunk down into a smaller form and boy has the collection of eye color canes grown! Red, blue, brown, gray, green, purple! Yellow and hazel are also on the list of "to do".

And they still do creep me out! But, the not so natural colors aren't quite as bad as those little green eyes. Too realistic for me!

More Free Photos For Artists and Designers

2008-09-16T14:58:00.004-05:00

My partner has put up free wallpaper for anyone who is interested, but he also is allowing artists, graphic designers and web designers to also partake of the goodies and use them for anything they wish, similar to the allowances I have in my previous post. Check out the rest of his awesome photos on erellsworth.com

Reference Photos - For artwork

2008-09-08T15:16:00.009-05:00

I work by photograph when I paint, draw, or use pastels unless I'm doing a still life. I take full advantage of sites like Morguefile and Wetcanvas. They provide photos to work from for people that otherwise would never see things like mist over an Irish moor or the waves of an island crashing against the cliffs. I've always wanted to start a page on my website where artists can find free reference photos. Since I don't have enough photos to start that yet, I figured I would offer some on my blog. These are FREE FOR THE TAKING for independent artists, graphic designers and web desigers. Any corporation or company that employs more than 2 people please contact me for information regarding the sale of these images.

Now, onto the photos. Click on the image to be taken to a larger version. These are all desert landscapes, and shows off Superstition Mountain in Apache Junction, AZ, saguaro cacti, ocotillo cacti and desert brush.

If you do use these, I would love to see what you did with them. Feel free to leave a comment with a link!

Website update!

2008-09-05T03:02:00.005-05:00

I have finally figured out how to redirect the hard way, which turned out to be the easiest way! I thought I would need to go into cpanel and redirect from there, but my old site was already being redirected from a subdomain and I wasn't able to redirect a redirect. Argh! But, after googling how to do a 301 redirect (which means that the website has been moved, so you can still be found in searches) I found that it was a simple procedure of inserting a small line of information into my .htaccess file. Then, viola, it was done! So, the grand unveiling of Valerie-Moore.com:

The logo was done by Ed, of course, my wonderful graphic design student partner. This may be a temporary logo, although I do like it. I will also be switching out my buttons to match and making some tweaks to the site. I just needed to get rid of the old logo:
Since the bead part is now housed in my etsy shop, I very well couldn't keep using the same logo! So, that is that! My new site is up and running, everything should be in working order.

Website updates

2008-09-01T21:34:00.003-05:00

I've decided to change my domain from valeriebeads.com to valerie-moore.com since my site no longer contains beads since I use etsy as a shop now. My only problem right now is that I need a new logo, want to redo my buttons and have a graphic design student boyfriend that has full classes and work to attend. I suppose I could try to create my own, but boy is it easier to ask someone to do it who knows more about Photoshop than I do. So, Ed if you are reading, I bow to your graphic designerness that I just can't attain.

I had hoped I could get it all transferred in a week, which I've done, but the poor site has those nasty x's where the logo should be. Ah well, all the tutes and pics are functioning, which took a loooong night of updating links and uploading pictures. Now I just need to forward everyone from the original site to the new, upon arriving.

End of Summer Sale

2008-08-25T16:43:00.007-05:00

There is nothing terribly new going on here at Valeriebeads, things have slowed down for a while, but I would like to announce that through September 1st I am having a 20% off sale in my etsy shop to celebrate the upcoming new, cooler weather! I, for one, am so glad to see it go, even if it hasn't actually gone from here yet. In any case, if you pop on by my etsy shop, you can peruse beads like this:

Happy Nearly End of Summer!

New Beads, Florals Please

2008-06-17T02:25:00.006-05:00

Princess - Ok, I'll admit the name is kind of unoriginal, but with a pink that sweet, what little princess could pass it by?

Violet Fancy - along the same lines of Princess, but in a violet purple.

Ocean Breeze - My favorite combination out of them all. I'm more of an ocean girl and those butterflies call to me.

I have now officially run out of silver leaf. Since I got my last batch from Arrow Springs and they now charge a $30 shipping deposit on pretty much anything and silver leaf is maybe an ounce, I decided to go with Phoenix Art Supplies which was a link a lampworking friend of mine sent me. I ordered on Sunday and have yet to receive any tracking information, so who knows. I've spent quite a bit of time trying to track down a reputable supplier for silver leaf with reasonable shipping and let me tell you that eBay is NOT the place to look for that. One seller was advertising that it was "real" silver, but when pressed about the .925 or .999 quality, I found out that the "real" leaf, wasn't.

But that gets me started on a rant about eBay that I would rather not start. Suffice to say that as a buyer, until they get things straightened out with their sellers and start treating them right I will be boycotting. Which is a shame since I have no idea where else to look for just about anything that isn't Amazon.

Strawberry Dreams Forever

2008-06-10T03:23:00.004-05:00

This cute little beaded strawberry was donated this past weekend, along with others to the local Can't Stop the Serenity group, which is a group that shows a screening of the movie Serenity, the conclusion for the cancelled TV show Firefly. All proceeds of the screening go to the charity Equality Now. My local screening will be held on the 28th, a day after my birthday! To get the strawberry reference I urge you to pick up a copy of Firefly, The Series and watch it.

I was so taken by my little strawberries that I had the notion to create a tutorial for them. Stay tuned for more info regarding the tute. I have a few more to make that I need to mail off to a CSTS coordinator, and I hope to capture a few pics in the process.

Calling for submissions, jewelry items

2008-06-01T22:26:00.002-05:00

For anyone who has made jewelry with the beads that I make, and would like to be considered for the guest gallery on my website, please shoot me off an email to valerie at valeriebeads dot com. Replace the at and dot with the appropriate characters of course.

Mailbag!

2008-05-19T18:50:00.007-05:00

I got a package in the mail the other day that I had to post about. It came from Carol from Beaded-Baubles. It contained a gorgeous set of chain maille jewelry. I had given her free reign with what I wanted and told her that I wanted something more delicate, but that I could wear every day. She came up with this, which is a weave developed by a group of maillers, called GSG which stands for Great Southern Gathering, or so I'm told.

The bracelet is a little tarnished, but that's because I haven't taken it off since I got it about a week ago! Since I wasn't able to get the whole necklace in the picture here is a close up. Check out the toggle clasp on this baby!I'm just so happy with the whole set! I adore chain maille, but there is no way that I would be able to accomplish something like this, or even come close. My last attempt at anything chain maille-ish turned into a huge knot of rings. But this? I don't know how Carol does it!

My New Toy

2008-05-18T04:22:00.008-05:00

My wonderful boyfriend bought me this cute little Singer Stylist 6548 sewing machine for a whopping $21 at a local thrift store. It also came with a cover that locks in place, in addition to an extension table that attaches but is not pictured. It works with discs that you pop into the top of the machine to give you your fancier stitches. I don't know how often I'll use the fancier stitches, but it sure can crank out a straight and zig zag stitch like it's nothing, though it's missing the straight and zipper feet.

My old Babylock would always make kind of a clunking, "I'm dying" noise when I used the zig zag stitch if it wasn't just oiled and cleaned. The previous owner had it serviced before I got it (from freecycle!), and I have taken good care of it. But, I always had the feeling that I might want to keep an eye peeled for a new one. Lo and behold, Ed found it on the bottom shelf under all the TV's and other electronics and lugged the heavy thing out. So my good 'ole Babylock will stand as backup for the smaller and sleeker, yet weightier Singer or for when I need to switch to a stitch the other doesn't do (triple stretch stitch for knits is one). Oh, I'm so in love with it! I've already played with it and it's wonderful to sew with.

In addition to that awesome gift, I bought two big bags stuffed full of what I think are vintage zippers. There are prices on them like 75 and 80 cents, so I can only assume that they are vintage. I think they came from the same place the Singer did, because I haunt this thrift store and it all was put out at the same time. I ended up with about 100 zippers in sizes ranging from 5 inches to 22 with some jeans zippers and what I think may be a luggage zipper. What am I going to do with all those zippers?! But, it was too good of a find to pass up. I think I spent like $8 total on them all. Boy do I love thrift stores!

And to top off my weekend, clay goes on sale at Michaels on Sunday, for 99 cents. That's even cheaper than buying a one pound brick of poly clay at the art store (which runs I think about a buck or two more than online).

Firefly or Serenity anyone?

2008-04-30T14:14:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd give a plug to the awesome group I'm in called the Big Damn Crafters Etsy Street Team. It's a fan group for the cancelled TV series Firefly and the follow up movie, Serenity. It's a cross between sci-fi and a western that has a cast of seriously talented people, including the hunka-hunka babe Nathan Fillion and the elegant Summer Glau, among others.

We're a group of like-minded people that love all things Firefly. We have monthly challenges to create Firefly/Serenity inspired items for our Etsy shops. To find any of our members, just use the search tag "teambdc" and lots of cool goodies will pop up like the cool stuff you see here, in addition to non-Firefly related items that we create.

http://bigdamncrafters.blogspot.com

Hopefully back

2008-03-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

(cross posted from my IndiePublic blog)
I've been very absent from here for a long, long time. Hopefully I will be back to stay. Among other things going on, I've recently gotten pretty into sewing with my not so great sewing machine. While the machine is old, and probably needs servicing it's new to me. I got it last year from someone on my local freecycle. On the off chance that someone might have a sewing machine laying around, I posted a "want" and a generous and nice woman answered it. She gave me a half hour crash course and I went on my way (although later I sent her a thank you card). Over the past few weeks I've made 5 handbags (2 of which were prototypes for bead embroidered bags), 2 skirts, 2 pairs of pajama bottoms, 1 terrible, terrible shirt that will never see the light of day, a wrap style dress that I'm putting trim on and a pair of shorts that I haven't finished because I can't figure out why the facing is shorter than it needs to be. It's a shame too because the shorts are adorable and in a funky tan, black and white plaid.

Oh and did I mention my fabric stash? Such cool stuff! Last night I scored at Wal-Mart in their $1 fabric pile. Straight off the truck, the fabric lady told me; 6 yards of black jersey. It's an inch shorter in width than other fabrics, hence the $1 per yard price but with 6 yards, I think I can play with pattern pieces to make them fit. I haunt the thrift stores around here as well and repurpose vintage and cool sheets I find on "tag" sale (each day a new tag gets discounted), in addition to just plain vintage fabric.

Sheets, that's my new thing. I found a sewing blog a while back that mentioned using sheets for your muslins (prototypes, first drafts), so I started searching for cheap sheets to use. Then I came across another one where someone made a dress out of one, but it was so pretty, they decided to wear it instead. So, now I am on the lookout for sheets. The only problem I've found so far is that a lot of vintage and lower thread count sheets are thin, so I'll either need to line whatever I make, or wear a slip. I've never worn a slip in my life! But, I will take that challenge so I can wear my cool new skirts and whatever else I make.

But, I'm living my dream as silly as that sounds. From the time I was a kid I always wanted to make my own clothes and personalize them. Did I hear you mention beads? Oh yes, there will be beads on these creations...

The Cypress Stand

2008-01-22T03:08:00.001-05:00

A gorgeous cypress stand in Georgia near the Satilla River, done in soft pastels and measures 11" x 14". I was experimenting with illustration board and my pumice and gesso ground that I concoted a while ago to mimic Art Spectrum Colorfix. The results came out great except the illustration board warped a bit. Framed it will do fine, but I don't like having a warped board. But, that is what experimenting is about I suppose. I probably won't be using illustraion board again, but it's what I had on hand in a larger size.

I realized a little while ago that every piece of art of my own that I have framed and hung consists of trees. Since I don't like that the board is warped I will probably keep this one for myself and hang it some where in the living room with the other trees. I really don't know where the obsession for tree paintings came from, but they always seem to be my favorites.

Newest work

2008-01-08T13:53:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post, here are some pics of my newest Drawn Sketched pendants that, at the moment, are exclusive to my etsy shop.

My favorite, the Florida panther.

A silly little smiling cat.

Pretty brown horse

This was done for a friend that has the original soft pastel painting of this leopard.

And that is it for now! I have more stuff to show, but not enough time to do it.

So Creepy!

2007-12-06T18:25:00.002-05:00

I vowed long ago not to make eyeball beads, but I surprised myself when I agreed to make some for Juli of julridesigns.etsy.com . She wanted something realistic and 25mm in green. Well, off I went to make green eyes. The iris was fun to make and I used custom colors for the whole thing. They turned out to be about the same size as a real eyeball. This is the result:

I must say that although they creeped me out while I was glossing them (they were LOOKING at me!) I did have fun goofing around with them. Since I have quite a bit of the "green eye" left I will probably make some mini versions of these. Something smaller and less...realistic perhaps?

Non-Bead related: A Dog Bed!

2007-10-26T16:07:00.001-05:00

I got all crafty last night and decided to make my dogs a dog bed. We were just giving them our old pillows to sleep on, which they are fine with, but it's kind of ugly on the floor, especially when we put the dog blanket on it (they get cold sometimes!).

Here is the result of my handiwork. I sewed a pillowcase and attached 10 ties to the edges of the pillowcase to hold the sides on once they are all tied. The sides are just a 4 section tube with ties attached to it. It was done in 4 pieces which were sewn together at the join and then stuffed.

Top view

front view

Bottom view

I did have to redo the sides, because I made them too big and they didn't sit on top of the pillow, but rather on the edge. I didn't want that, so I pulled the stuffing out and ripped out the stitches and made them all shorter. I really like how it turned out. It is only my 3rd or 4th sewing project I've done on my sewing machine so far.

Here is a happy dog sleeping in the bed. I think she appreciates it...

Whew!

2007-10-11T18:13:00.001-05:00

We finally moved and are into our own place! I've done so much moving this past year that I hope I stay put for some time.

Some new creations since I've been in the new place focus on Halloween! It's one of my favorite fun days of the year and I get to show off my creepy goodies.

Purple Spider Halloween Beads

Orange Spider Halloween Beads

Orange Spider Halloween Lentil Beads

I've also done a couple more Drawn Sketched pendants. I'm in love with the scarlet macaw pendant myself. ;-)

Scarlet Macaw Pendant

Sleepy Puppy Pendant

All of these can be found in my Etsy shop.

Ning!

2007-08-22T04:26:00.001-05:00

What the heck kind of word is Ning you ask? Well it's a very cool networking site for pretty much anyone! I'm a member of the groups IndiePublic and We Love Etsy and many sub-groups within those groups, such as "Artists", "Art Beads", "Polymer Clay Madness" and "etsyBEAD Street Team". It's a ton of fun and I suggest that if you're an artist or crafter that you go over there and check it out. It's like an adult Myspace that has much better content and less giggling teenagers.

Come check out my profiles and add me as a friend! Leave me a comment to come check out your profile too.
http://etsylove.ning.com/profile/valeriebeads
http://www.indiepublic.com/profile/valeriebeads

On a beady note, I'm almost done beading my panels for my next bead embroidered purse. If I work diligently I may even complete them tonight, although after that it's on to figuring out what I want to do for the bottom panel. To bead or not to bead, that is the question...

ETSY.COM

2007-08-11T17:06:00.001-05:00

I'm a contributing member of http://www.etsy.com and wanted to spread the word about this great site. If you like handmade items but hate wandering around craft fairs and bazaars then this site is for you! The site focuses on buying and selling handmade goods that artisans and crafters create. Contribute to the economy and buy handmade! Spread the word about Etsy.com if you already love it, buy from individuals rather than corporations and help us artists out!

And while you're at it, check out MY etsy shop!

Etsy
Buy Handmade
valeriebeads

Bead Dreams Entries

2007-07-11T15:39:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I entered into Bead Dreams and one of the entries got juried in as a finalist. Well, I didn't win but I thought I'd share my entries with the world now that I am allowed to.

These beads were made using canes, translucent techniques, and .999 fine silver leaf. This entry made it to the finals and spent time at the Bead and Button Show of 2007. May I present Tenderly Beads. Click on the picture to be taken to the larger version.

My second entry that didn't win was a bead embroidered mini tote bag (also know as a purse, lol). Here is a collage of the purse with all sides showing. Introducing Trees and Leaves...Click on the picture to be taken to the larger version.

I'm happy that one of them made it and got to be at the B&B Show, but like any entrant I wish mine had won. lol! Perhaps next year eh?

But, one good thing that came of all of this is that the tote bag gave me the motivation to finally get a sewing machine to try another, since that tote bag was entirely hand sewn. A very cool story about the sewing machine though; I got it off of Freecycle! On the off chance that someone might have one collecting dust I asked and lo and behold, someone emailed me and said they had one I could have. I was thunderstruck! I really didn't expect one to turn up. A very lovely lady whom I got the machine from gave me a crash course in how to run it (I had never used one before) and was just the sweetest thing. Thanks to the generosity of others I can finally try making more of these babies. Oh, if you're interested I was given a Babylock, a nice machine, from what I'm told. It's about 20 years old but runs great and has a ton of stitches.

So, I have started another bead embroidered handbag and am working on it right now. It may take a while to finish it, as it's very labor intensive, but I hope to have it completed within a month if I can keep up on it and if I don't run out of beads.

Oh do I have a surprise for you...

2007-06-15T06:07:00.000-05:00

I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation...I can't wait any longer!

Recently I learned from random searching for something polymer clay related, that if I used a rough grit sandpaper to give my pieces some tooth I could draw on my clay using colored pencils. I had tried unsuccessfully about a year ago to draw on clay, but the clay was just too slick and it didn't work out. But, armed with my new knowledge I started sketching on clay.

This is the result that I unveiled on etsy a few days ago, one of which is already sold:

These aren't just limited to colored pencils of course, but it gave me the "Ah-hah!" moment I needed to expand with my own thang.

Oh, and if you haven't already check out my new tutorial! It shows you how to create a sculpted garden plaque covered in garden critters, and foliage.

Until next time, happy beading, claying or whatever hobby you have!

Like, Oh My God!

2007-05-18T18:38:00.001-05:00

I got juried into Bead Dreams!! One of my bead sets was approved by the judges. I am not allowed to "publish" it anywhere, so until I find out about the judging I can't show you all a picture. I also submitted a very cool beaded purse, but that wasn't accepted. I'm tickled pink that the bead set was accepted though!!

I've started going to Physical Therapy the past few weeks...I'm amazed at the difference in how I feel. My PT also told me all the things I was doing wrong, including sleeping and standing. So now I'm a little more aware of how I'm holding my body, in addition to doing all the exercises I'm given. It must be working because my stabbing sciatic leg pain has diminished. I never thought it was possible after 8 years of constant pain.

Blessed relief!!

Back In the Swing of Things

2007-03-23T03:21:00.000-05:00

I think I've finally got these allergies under control, so I've been up and about a lot more. I even got busy and made a bunch of new beads:

There are even new dragon pendants too! You can click on the pics below to be taken to see the whole dragon pendant.

I've mostly been working on my bead embroidery project that I hope to enter into Bead Dreams if I can complete it in time. It's been a labor of love; I started it before I started having wrist problems and had planned to enter it into a different competition but the deadline for that one came and went and I was still unable to bead. Finally after months of rest and new wrist braces I can bead again. It's a little slow going, but it's better than having to give up beading, which I thought I'd have to do, after I was diagnosed with an RSI (repetitive stress injury). No, really, I thought I'd have to give up beading...but thankfully I didn't. I'm counting my lucky stars over that one.

I also have in mind another tutorial for polymer clay. I need to research it first to see if I'm not the first one to think of it...that's happened before. I've thought I was so clever in creating something and then months later I see it in a magazine or see it on the web, just slightly different. But, if it's not then I may create a new one; my website certainly does need a new one!

Until next time fellow crafters...

Hello Arizona!

2007-01-11T03:51:00.000-05:00

Whew! After a very long hiatus from updating this blog I've returned to tell of exciting news:

I've moved to Arizona! Gone are the sand swept beaches and "walking through water" humidity. Now I need to get used to the dry heat and cacti. Really though, it's beautiful here and I've enjoyed every minute of it that I wasn't ill.

Oh yeah, I came down with terrible allergies though. I had some in FL, but nothing like this. Driving through Texas and New Mexico I couldn't stop sneezing. I was sneezing every time I walked outside or got out of the car. It wasn't pleasant. So when I got to AZ I had alrady had that attack and combined with worse allergies and dry air I came down with a sinus infection that took 2 different antibiotics to kick. Unfortunately I was also put on prednisone and I had baaaad reactions to it.

I understand Prednisone saves lives but man, is it an evil, evil drug.

So anyways, I'm slowly gaining my strength back (I had an infection for a month!!), unpacking, cautiously exploring the new area and trying to get back to normal enough to get back to work makin' stuff!

Oh! Here's an ADORABLE pic of Miss Molly with her new friend Lily (the pup with her head up), both sneaking some pillow time when I wasn't paying attention:

Until next time, happy beading!

Latest polymer clay work

2006-08-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

I found these cool little mini lunch boxes and wanted to see if I could cover them in polymer clay. The experiment worked and they've been transformed into mini purses! Here is one of my favorites, just finished today:

Some of my better lampwork beads

2006-08-14T12:56:00.000-05:00

These were done after about 2 weeks on the torch. My favorite is the second picture, the two darker beads. I'm conquering dots, now I just need to start on lines and squiggles.

A New World Awaits

2006-07-11T02:49:00.000-05:00

I have recently become the proud owner of a HotHead torch, oodles of glass, tools and supplies. I just went out this past weekend to buy my very first propane tank too. From someone who was pretty wary of "that scary flame" I sure jumped in with both feet. I'm only waiting for my work area to be covered in sheet metal (which someone else is doing for me) and I'll be showing off my first beads on my very own torch. Hopefully I'll learn how to use a HotHead since my first torching session was on a super duper dual gas torch. Thank goodness for my buddy Nicole who told me what I needed and provided me with some insanely good sale items from some of her lampworking friends, otherwise I'd still be saving for it all. Talk about a big investment...but I'm glad that I was able to try it out without putting a lot into it. I wasn't sure I'd even *like* it when Nicole told me that we'd be playing with glass on my vacation to CA. So, stay tuned for some beads in a whole new medium from me.

The best of both worlds

2006-06-15T02:23:00.000-05:00

I've combined my love of beads and dragons to create my latest series, Dragon Pendants. These little babies are sculpted out of polymer clay.

This is Lylah:

And this is Cayden:

They are both for sale on my website for those that are interested. I had a lot of fun coming up with these babies. And babies they actually are; I'm planning to do all baby dragons in the Dragon Pendants line, mainly because you can only make a pendant so big before it just doesn't look right. Lylah is the largest measuring in at 3 inches, while Cayden is smaller and a little over 2 inches. I'm hoping that I'll be able to go a little smaller, but sometimes the clay has a mind of it own (Oooo, scary).

They also feature wings that were originally used in my small butterfly pendants, which I think adds just the right touch to them and their child-like personalities.

California Dreamin'

2006-05-11T00:53:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in California to tour and visit my good online buddy Nicole. She was awesome and we both had a blast!

I started out the vacation teaching a small class on beginning polymer clay, my first "big" class. Everything I've taught before was singly or in tutes. Needless to say I was exhausted and we still didn't get through everything I wanted to show them. I think I'll stick to teaching individually from now on. lol! It wiped me out.

The next day Nicole and I checked out Folsom Prison when I found out that we were right by it and then off to Arrow Springs (a glass warehouse that services to lampworkers) where we heard that there was still snow up in the mountains. Snow? I had never seen snow, so off we went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to see snow. My first experience was in a dirty snow drift. But it was snow! Later on we found an expanse of cleaner snow and actually had a snowball fight. It was too awesome, especially since we were both in short sleeves and it was gorgeous weather. The snow was beginning to melt and through the whole drive the mountains had little mini waterfalls cascading down the rock sides.

We finally made it to where Lake Tahoe is and took a bunch of pictures. Further up there it started getting really cold though! Downright nippy.

After that I started to really tire so we made our way back home.

The next day or so was spent lounging and making some of my first glass beads. The picture below is all of the beads I made, but they go in about the order that they were made from right to left. I have issues with stringer control but shaky hands (from both nerves dealing with fire and about a 6 pack of diet pepsi) will do that.

About halfway through the vacation we headed out to San Francisco where we went to Pier 39, saw Alcatraz (but did not go out to the island) and sea lions. After that we headed over to San Jose to go to the Winchester Mystery House which was pretty cool but exhausting for me. Then over to Monterey we went where we stayed the night, visited the aquarium there and toured the coast.

We had planned to do a little more but I was done in and we opted to head home. We drove to Santa Cruz, checked out the pretty desolate boardwalk because we had missed getting to the Mystery Spot in time before it closed because of a traffic jam and killed some time while rush hour ended. Then we were off to Gilroy where the air was laden with the scent of garlic and through some mountains before hitting the stretch of highway that would take us back to Sacramento.

The rest of the time we made beads, both glass and polymer, ate waaay too much food and had a nice time just hanging out. It was a great vacation, one I desperately needed, that revived me and gave me a lot of incredible memories.

Now I can't wait to do it again!

Shameless plug for OrphanBeads

2006-04-19T01:02:00.000-05:00

I am now the owner and full mod on OrphanBeads, the Yahoo group created for the "financially challenged beader". We trade, sell and barter for beads with other members. This is a shameless plug for those that do bead to come check us out and join if you've a mind to. Anyone who beads or collects beads is welcome to join. Those "financially challenged" people are free to buy discounted, below retail, or small quantities of beads from our members. Those that aren't so finacially challenged are free to sell, barter or trade their goods that they have too much of or just want to cull the collection.

Polymer clay flowers

2006-03-31T03:53:00.000-05:00

I am a member of the yahoo group PolyWannaClay and joined in a polymer clay flower bouquet swap. Because I haven't been paired up yet with my partner I won't post the actual picture of my swap item yet but here is a pic of what I made with my leftovers that didn't make the bouquet cut. This bouquet is about 3 1/2 inches in height including the little bottle it is in. The actual swap bouquet is larger, has a lot more going on in it and is of completely different colors.

I'll tell ya though; these flowers take so long to make! Of course if I had the right materials it wouldn't have taken so long (wrapping floral tape, scavenged from another project, around wire sucks!). I also discovered that 527 multi-purpose cement doesn't bond well with polymer clay and wire. But I didn't want to wait to go out and get the right stuff; I'm leaving for an extended weekend and wanted to get this completed before I departed, which I did.

I got a lot of information about making clay flowers by searching for the Japanese flower techniques made with an air dry clay. If it wasn't so expensive to buy the cutters to make the petals I would be all over *that* hobby like white on rice. Yeah, like I need another hobby...

I must be on a roll...more dragon stuff

2006-03-24T02:27:00.000-05:00

All I've been posting is dragon stuff. Well, here's another one folks! This one is a polymer clay covered Altoids tin. Made with black polymer clay, a texture plate, various colors of Pearl-Ex and my own hand sculpted dragon head, all glossed to seal in the Pearl-Ex. I've got to admit; the heads are so much easier than the rest of the body!

I'm really pleased with this little one.

Whee, dragon stuff and more

2006-03-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, well I made a dragon head. At first I attempted a smaller dragon than I normally do but I wasn't happy with it. I had this idea for a dragon head for a while so I gave that a try. I must say I'm a lot happier with the dragon head than the full dragon I attempted.

I've also been busy making more beads, some for a trip to California I'll be taking to meet my good online buddy, Nicole for the first time. There are more pictures on my website under "new beads" but here's a taste for you that check this out through blogger or BE:

So for now my flurry of activity is done and I can go relax. I've also been working on another project for The Bead Bugle but I'm a big procrastinator so all I've done is the actual project and the weights and measurements I'll need to know to write the project.

Here there be dragons...

2006-02-05T03:24:00.000-05:00

Before I was struck down like a tree in a lightning storm with a pretty miserable repetative stress injury (something like carpal tunnel, or carpal tunnel, I'm not really sure) I was in the process of sculpting a dragon. Here he is in all his glory (yeah, the pics suck, but it was the best I could do with what felt like flippers for hands).

He's been named Marv by the recipient.

The game and other exciting stuff

2006-01-20T06:25:00.000-05:00

The short game I played on my website went great! I posed a riddle to those that could find the "game piece", in this case the word "riddle" on my site. The riddle was this:

I'm of different sizes, many time I can be large or small.
I'm born of many reasons and can result in your fall.
Sometimes you can see me, sometimes you can not,
In time I can change sizes, from a dot to a lot.

Try and figure it out yourself. The answer will be at the end of this entry.

I've been asked to co-moderate the yahoo group Orphan Beads and the secondary group to it that houses more pictures. What the group is, is a place for "financially challenged" beaders to catch a few deals at retail or under. What it isn't is a place for people that can afford to pay retail to catch some deals, although if you have things to clean out of your stash your membership is welcome! There are many people out there with hobbies that they love to do but can't really afford, whether it is just that month or because of other situations. Orphan Beads is for one beader to clean out, make room or get rid of beads and bead related items that they no longer need or have too many of, while helping another beader to purchase items they normally couldn't afford. It's a great group, and if you fit the criteria, please check it out!

On the same beady note, I've got some really cool beads listed on eBay right now. Here's a picture of one of the sets:

Check out the auctions if you've a mind to. Bid if you like them. :-D

The answer to the riddle is: hole or bruises. Did you get it right?

A new game!

2006-01-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

I've started a game that is a cross between a treasure hunt and a riddle game on my website that some of you may want to play. The winner gets a set of beads. For those that don't bead, well, you can still try and figure it out. I'll post the answer after the game ends in about 12 hours (10:15am EST or there about).

The game is simple. Find the word "riddle" under one of the items on my site and click on the word. You will be taken to the game page with the question you have to answer and the extended instructions to the game on how to enter. In the result of multiple winners a name will be drawn randomly.

No cheating! I want you to use your brain on this one. The question/riddle isn't easily google-able and it has been rephrased to prevent cheating with Google.

Good luck!

A Lazy Day in Autumn (in Winter!)

2005-12-29T03:17:00.000-05:00

Not that I ever have snow. Most color down here is still all green. We don't get seasons the way other states do or even the way northern Florida does. So of course the reference wasn't taken here (or by me). This painting was a first in many things; my first landscape, my first try at water, my first time using an easel and my first time using some new pastels I got as a present.

Busy with the pastels

2005-12-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

Some, who might read this for the beading content may be wondering why I haven't posted many bead related things lately. It's partially due to the fact that I've just been in a groove with the pastels and also because the beading I am doing is part of a larger project that isn't near completion. So, hopefully sometime in the near future I'll have some more bead related content but for now I hope you don't mind my paintings.

Which brings me to my latest painting, My Bone.

The Grapes of Frustration

2005-12-09T03:24:00.000-05:00

Well it was more the bowl than the grapes that frustrated me, but I did this one purposely so I could try the bowl. I'm pretty happy with it though. Needs a few more added touches. I can see now in the picture that the most prominent grape on the left needs to be rounded a bit more towards the edge. It worked up quicker than I expected, but it's a smaller painting, 8 by 9 or something (which may get cropped to 8 by 8), rather than the 11x14's that I've been doing.

But not bad for a first still life attempt in my opinion. Oh, and the reference photo is courtesy of where else, The Wet Canvas Image Library.

And the days wear on

2005-12-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing anything major the past few days, mostly puttering around, bouncing from one project to another but not really completing any of them. I finally got some beads drilled that I have been putting off forever because it's so tedious. I spent most of yesterday trying to figure out how I had managed to screw up my tables on my website and adding another polymer clay tutorial on how to make a butterfly cane. I finally ended up downloading an HTML editor and just plugging the info in. I'm code challenged so I need those things to be dumbed down for me. I've come to loathe HTML but I do like to update my site, it's just that every time I do I end up screwing up the tables and making the page look mangled. I hope this will ease my frustration; I was ready to chuck the computer out the door earlier, not that it's a computer issue but rather an operator issue.

I'm working on another painting, something I haven't attempted yet; a bowl of grapes. Yeah, I've made all these animal paintings but I haven't even touched still lifes yet. They usually just seem so boring, but I've come across some really nice ones at Wet Canvas so I thought I might give it a go. We'll see how it works out; the bowl is all angles with lots of light and color reflecting off of it. I'm sure I would go a better job with some better (and more) pastel pencils but I'll have to make do with what I have on hand which will probably be some NuPastels and the meager supply of pastel pencils I do have.

Until next time...

Noisy little birds...

2005-11-30T07:06:00.000-05:00

These noisy little birds flock over my house every single day, squawking and talking to each other. I think there are about 3 or 4 major flocks in this town I live in and when I had a bird feeder I often would see a little yellow parakeet flying with them (and trying to mate with them!). They nest in the electrical substations around town and you can hear them squawking from down the street. While these quaker parrots aren't one's in my neighborhood I sure had a fun time bringing them to life. This was another commission done for a beading friend of mine for her mother as a Christmas gift. I hope they enjoy it!

A little dog

2005-11-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

As I stated in an earlier post I was doing a portrait of a friends little dog. I managed to finish it today, although it needs a few finishing touches as I walk by it and pick it apart in my head. She was just too cute to not paint; those ears just kill me!

Now I'm planning an experiment on what colors are affected by fixative. I don't normally use it but my mother wants to transport a painting of mine to work and I'd rather not have it get ruined or smudged in enroute. I've heard that it dulls colors and want to see if it's true without screwing up one of my paintings by using it on one.

Been slowing down

2005-11-15T03:22:00.000-05:00

I listed some auctions on eBay after a whirlwind frenzy of bead making. Check them out. But besides that I just started on a new pastel painting of a cute little dog that a friend of mine showed me a picture of. She was just too cute not to paint so I asked permission and received it! I hope to have a picture of it up soon but the way things are going I seem to be slowing down. It's mostly from pain. It seems that no matter what I do or don't do I've got terrible aches and pains.

I'm also trying to work out something so I can cover an Altoids tin in this awesome stuff called Dichrofex that gives the illusion of dichroic without having to work with glass. It's thin, like metal leaf but it seems to be made out of plastic because it didn't fare so well in the oven when I tried baking it onto polymer clay. It's fun stuff and I just need to figure out what else I can do with it. Covered Altoids tins are great for business cards for those that do art shows or craft shows or have a display in someone's store. They can be covered in clay, painted, glued on...you just have to give them a light sanding first and figure out a way to cover over the paint that is already on there.

I'll be sure to show a picture of that too once I'm done.

Happy painting, claying, crafting or whatever it is you do!

Leopard painting

2005-11-07T16:33:00.000-05:00

Well I went out and got myself a memory card reader. Works great! Take that toilet camera! Here's the leopard painting I recently finished. Of course it's my favorite so far but I like Big Cats so I'm pretty biased.

Yabba dabba do

2005-11-07T00:55:00.000-05:00

As I stated in an earlier post I went on vacation to Tennessee last month. Little did I know that a hurricane was brewing down by Mexico. Yabba dabba do, her name was Wilma. I came home just in time to have her pay us in South Florida a devastating visit. Power lines were on the ground and power poles were snapped off like toothpicks. Even concrete power poles were snapped.

Power is still being restored and I've only recently gotten my internet back, but back I am.

If being without internet and power sucked, what happened this weekend sucked just as badly. I brought my camera out with me to go play pool, or attempt to at least. We've had a curfew for quite some time so nobody has really been able to get out and relax, so pool sounded like a good idea. I needed to use the little girls room so in I went with my purse. I walked into the stall, placed my purse on the tank and went to sit to do my business. I noticed that there was no toilet paper in the holder so I got up and turned around just to see my purse fall right into the toilet. I yanked it out but the closure on my purse doesn't like to stay closed so my wallet, camera and miscellaneous make-up fell out and into the water. Needless to say I was ready to cry because a few months ago I had spent over $100 to repair my camera because I a piece of sand got crunched in the lens when it retracted. Not to mention I had to fish around in a public toilet bare-handed.

I took out the batteries and memory card out and tried airing it out overnight. When I went to bed it wasn't working, the macro and zoom wouldn't work and the button to take a picture wouldn't function either. I woke up in the morning and I guess someone heard my prayers or moon dance or whatever it was that worked because lo and behold my camera worked just fine. I could have leapt for joy if I was able. ;-)

But alas my joy was short-lived. My camera refuses to upload to my computer. So off I will have to go tomorrow to buy a memory card reader; good thing memory cards are removable.

So although I have lots of new pictures to post of my work I'm unable to do so. Stay tuned for new works though, they are coming soon. I've got a great painting of a leopard and tons of new beads that I made while without the time consuming internet connection.

Moral of the story: Keep the camera at home.

Me addicted? Surely you jest!

2005-10-12T05:52:00.000-05:00

I'm on vacation in Chatanooga, TN. If you're like me you automatically think of people named Bubba who have no teeth and shoot saltrock at intruders but Chattanooga is something different, at least what I've seen the times I've been up here. The place is gorgeous, full of old stately homes (when you're in the right neighborhood at least!) and full of flora and fauna I've never seen before. Remember, I'm one of those elusive Florida natives who was actually born there so while an alligator on the side of the road is a Kodak moment for you, it's common occurance for me. Ever seen a flock of wild parrots? Come to South Florida and you will. What you don't see is a little chipmunk on the stairs to the front door or kudzu covering an entire yard. It's certainly a wonderful place for creativity and to reconnect, as corny as that sounds. I wake up and see mountains; that's almost as good as waking up and seeing the ocean.

And before you ask what the hell I'm doing online while on vacation ask yourself how long you like to go with no internet. ;-) Okay, okay I may have a teeny addiction. The first step is admitting the problem right? I guess while I'm at it I should admit to being addicted to beads, shiny objects and Nick at Nite. Hi, my name is Valerie...

Treasure Bracelet

2005-10-04T03:37:00.000-05:00

I'm a bracelet kind of girl, so I usually make more bracelets than I do necklaces. This one is probably my favorite out of everything I've made. It was bought by someone at the last craft show I did. Then someone else bought the same one but in sea green colors. Now I need to make another one.

It's all bead soup. Bead soup in purple seed beads and bead soup in czech pressed glass and firepolish with some silver thrown in to give some contrast and shine. There may even be some crystals in there too. A peyote toggle clasp finishes off the piece.

TiVo is good for me

2005-10-04T02:12:00.000-05:00

Thankfully I have cable. Actually I have the luck to have been given a used TiVo which is through Direct TV so in truth I have satellite, so I'm able to record things that I otherwise would have completely forgotten about. I have a ton of old DIY Jewelry Making shows recorded and while going through them I actually found a gem of an episode. One of the artists featured on there made a lovely necklace with beads and wire. So I had a go at it. Floral Bunches is Artistic Wire in cobalt blue and a bead soup of Czech flowers and leaves. I think there is some firepolish and fiber optic bead in there as well. It's attached to a strand of 11's in cobalt blue to finish it off. Honestly I didn't have the patience to wire up an entire necklace, so I settled for a focal bunch.

Crop circles?

2005-10-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well not exactly. But that's the idea that sprung after I made this and was looking for a name for it. Instead it's called Grape Circles.

It's made with 11 silver-lined seed beads and the sparkly and addictive Swarovski crystals (aka Austrian crystals). It's simple RAW, right angle weave, starting with 12 beads in a circle and adding the crystal, adding another circle, another crystal and so on. The clasp is tubular peyote.

Makes for a nice and simple, sparkly bracelet.

A makin' the beadies

2005-10-03T22:59:00.000-05:00

I've been having a grand 'ole time the past few weeks a makin' the beadies. I found an interesting way to play with pearl clays to bring out the mica effect in the clays after trial and error runs that resulted in some not so nice colors. But, I persevered and came up with a way to get it to the way I like.

My favorite beads by far are Resonance, which are up on eBay at the moment. I had a bit of a time trying to figure out how to get the effect small enough for bead form, but I managed. The secret you ask? Well, I guard my secrets with my life, so in order for me to tell you I'd be forced to kill you. A hint though...small patterned texture sheets. Well, I went and did it. Bad Valerie, bad. I never was too great with secrets anyways (so remember that the next time you tell me something!).